ROTTERDAM -- An accused rapist, known to friends as "Zombie Mike" because of his poor hygiene, is on the run, U.S. Marshals said. On Thursday, they released Youtube videos they hope will lead them to him.

Michael Hawkins, 29, who authorities said was described to them as someone "who can hide anywhere" and "survive off of scrap" produced a series of videos before he vanished after allegedly raping a friend's wife in 2013.

Many of the videos show only his hands as Hawkins plays bass guitar along with songs by heavy metal bands like Lamb of God. But Hawkins shows his face in at least one of the videos and, in a move that could help Marshals find people who might know him, shakes his face back and forth in slow motion, giving the watcher a clear view of him.

The Marshals said Hawkins' friends told them his nickname, "Zombie Mike," was inspired by his unclean appearance.

Hawkins' whereabouts are unknown. Marshals say he has ties to New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Oregon, California and Florida.

In the past, Hawkins worked for traveling carnival companies based in New Jersey and North Carolina and the Marshals said he might be working for similar outfits in Ohio, Tennessee, Puerto Rico and states along the East Coast.

Hawkins disappeared after allegedly raping a developmentally disabled woman inside her apartment on June 10, 2012. The victim, who was wheelchair bound, reported the crime the next day and a warrant was issued charging him with aggravated first-degree sexual abuse and other charges, the Marshals said.

He resurfaced on Nov. 8, 2013, when, Marshals said, he sexually assaulted the wife of a friend who had invited him to the couple's Rotterdam home for a family gathering. Hawkins was charged with first-degree rape.

"We, along with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, are determined to make sure he's held accountable, but we need the public's help," said U.S. Marshal David McNulty of the Northern District of New York.

Hawkins stands 5-foot-9 and weighs about 160 pounds. The Marshals said he has brown hair, brown eyes and several unique physical characteristics including a 1½-inch scar on his face, a burn mark on his right arm, and a tattoo of the Grim Reaper near his rib cage. Friends say he has a bad temper and abuses alcohol, the Marshals said.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for Hawkins' arrest. Police in Schenectady and Rotterdam are working with federal authorities in the search.